The Child Safety Campaign (CSC), a subsidiary of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), has distributed 20 car seats to new mothers at Al Qassimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Sharjah, in addition to giving out gifts and car seats to children at the Al Qassimi Hospital main building in Sharjah. The delivery of the seats took place as part of the campaign’s community initiative to ensure the safety of children travelling in vehicles.

The distribution was conducted yesterday (Sunday) in the presence of Mohammed Abdullah Al Zarooni, Director of Sharjah Medical Zone; Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Alai Al Naqbi, Director of Traffic and Patrolling Department at Sharjah Police; Dr. Safia Al Khaja, Director of Al Qassimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Dr Isam Al Zarouni, Head of the Emergency and Accident Department at Al Qassimi Hospital, and Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei, Department Director at the SCFA and Head of the Organising Committee of CSC.

Established to promote an awareness of child safety in vehicles and the importance of using car seats and seatbelts, the initiative was in line with the recent amendments to the Federal Traffic Law that makes it mandatory for drivers to use car seats for toddlers and seatbelts for older children. The initiative was an implementation of a cooperation agreement that was signed last week between the CSC and the UAE Federal Traffic Council, which aimed to distribute 366 child safety car seats to all segments of society in the Emirate of Sharjah, with recipients including disadvantaged families, new mothers, children with disabilities and taxi drivers who regularly carry young children.

The first batch of 50 car seats was distributes to drivers in the Al Rifa’a Area in Sharjah immediately after the agreement was signed, with 200 seats then given to the Department of Social Services in Sharjah for distribution to families in need.

The initiative also delivered 30 car seats to Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority to be installed in taxis dedicated to women and families at Sharjah International Airport, while another 40 seats were delivered to children with disabilities and special needs, an activity that was conducted in cooperation with Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services.

The campaign aims to distribute the final batch of car seats to drivers in various areas in Sharjah on Wednesday.

“Last week, we distributed over 300 child safety seats in coordination with various government organisations and entities in Sharjah. The move was a joint social venture carried out with the generous support of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of SCFA,” said Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei.

“Our cooperation with Al Qasimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital to distribute child safety car seats aligns with our commitment to promote awareness about the importance of ensuring the safety of all family members and to avoid injuries and fatalities from road traffic accidents through ensuring full compliance with safety standards in vehicles,” she added.

The car seat distribution initiative was carried out with the support of CSC’s partners, including its Exclusive Automotive Partner, Al Nabooda Automobiles Company; its Strategic Partners, Sharjah Airport International Free Zone and the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority; its Platinum Partner, Emirates for Industrial Cities; its Social Partners, Sharjah Police Headquarters and the UAE Ministry of Interior and its Media Partner, Sharjah Media Corporation.